The-main



K. KAISSER.

MERCURY STEP SWITCH FOR ELECTRICAL MACHINES AND APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 29, 1920.

1,426,875, 7 A Patented Aug. 22, 1922.

INVENTORQ ATTORNEY To all whom it mag comm:

- trical Machines and '10 UNITED sTAr srAreNriorrlce.

KARL mssna, or AMSTERDAM, imriinnmns, Assmivon. TO ME'rALLnAn-x u METALLURGISGHE eEsELLsonAr'r, x'rmnensnnnscnu'r, or FRANKFORT-ON- THE-MAIN, GERMANY, A-conromrronor GE MANY,

MERCURY 's'rnr' swrrcn' FOR ELECTRICAL MACHINES AND ArrAaA'rUs.

Be iLknownthat I, KARL neer, a citizen of the Netherlands, and resident of Amsterdam, 139 Sarphatistraat,

Netherlands, atpresent residing at Munich,

Seitzstrasse 5/3,. Bavaria, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mercury Ste Switches for Elecparatus, of which the following'is a speci cation.

The present invention relates to step or time switches for automatically-cutting electrical apparatus inand'out of icircuit at predetermined intervals, and it relates more particularly to a switch of this character in which the contact mediummercu'ry or another suitable fluid electrical conductorperiods of operates alternately within two oscillatably supported concentric chambers in the manner hereinafter described, whereby switching ractically absolute uniformity are 'obtaine which is of the greatest importance in many branches of the art, where exact observation of the continuously succeeding switching operations is imperative.

In order to make my invention readily understood, I will now describe it in connectionwith the accompanying drawing which shows a preferred embodiment in longitudinal section. a

The device essentially comprises the tubular metal casing at with a barrel-shaped middle portion 0 of somewhat larger diameter than that of the opposed leg portions. This casing is oscillatably suspended by'the yoke member I) at the intersection of the longitudinaland verticalmiddle planes and its weight is so distributed that the device normally balances about its pivot. In the left leg of the casing are adjustably disposed in parallel alinement a plurality of contact members or terminals, whose feet extend into an inner tube or contact chamber d. The latter is preferably concentrically nested within the outer chamber a and its mouth terminates near the point of suspension of the latter,as clearly shown in the drawing. The right leg of the casing is solid to counterbalance the other leg with the exception of a small chambercommunieating with the barrel portion e, the two together serving as a reservoir for the body of mercury f. Between the lower walls of the two nested chambers a and J there is provided KAIssnR, engi-.

Specification'of Letters Patent. P te te A 22, 1922 Application m November 2s, 1920. Serial No. 427,121.

a passage g, of relatively small cross-section,

and a port It admits of communication between this passage 9 and the outer lower end of theinner chamber d, an adjustable screw is, acting as a valve or stop, controlling the port. I A

. The outer left end of the titable casin a carries an adjustable contact member for instance a carbon brush, adapted to cooperate with the stationary contact member m.

The operation of the described device'is,

the following? In the inoperative= position the tilting member assumes the position shown 1n full hnes, with the left end up and the ,two contacts "1' and m disconnected. In

this position the predetermined body of merin o the operative (dotted-line) position by any suitable means, such as electromagnets, pressure devices, or the like, not shown here as forming no part of the invention and well known in the art, the two' contacts Z and m are conductingly connected and the mercury flows into the narrow passage 9 and through the port It into the contact chamber (1, the velocity of its passage being readily controlled'by the screw is. During the rise of the mercury level in thetube d, the contact members 0 are successively submer ed and the several circuits served by the 1(111dividual contacts are correspondingly close Owing to'the fact that the reservoir-e is 'extendedbeyond the fulcrum of the device,

that the mercury level willrise 1n thecontact chamber at an even, uniform rate, resulting in correspondingly uniform switchin -on periods. A

pon the device being tilted back into the inoperative position, the mercury is rapidly, practically instantaneousl evacuated from the contact chamber into his reservoir, when the device is imr' s-diately ready for the suc ceeding operation.

The design of the parts and the amount of mercury are such that the latter can never enter the contact chamber through its mouth,

but solely through the passage 9 and'port it, no matter what the position of the device relative to its'fixed suspension member 6;

'What I claim is I 1. In an electric time switch of the character set forth, in combination, an outer chamber serving as a reservoir for a fluid electrical conductor, a contact chamber of approximately half the length of said outer chamber and nested there1n,,a passage of relatively narrow cross-section between the said two chambers and means in saidpassage for controlling the flow of said -fluid con-' ductor therethrough, contact members extend' into said inner chamber, means for vertica ly tiltably suspending said nested vertical middle, planes, a contact chamber nested in said casing and occupying-- one leg thereof and extending approximately halfway into said barrel portion thereof, a

passage between said barrel portion and the outer end of said contact chamber, throttling means interposed in said passage for controlling the flow of mercury therethrough from sai barrel portion to said contact 3. In an electric time switch of the character set forth, in combination, a casing comprising a middle barrel portion, a hollow left leg and a partly hollow right leg, said barrel'portion and said right leg normally holding a body of mercury, means for vertically tiltably suspending said casing at about the intersection of its longitudinal and vertical middle'planes, a contact chamber arranged in said hollow leftleg of the casing and extending into said barrel portion thereof to approximately the point of suspension thereof, the amount of mercury being such thatin any relative position of the device the mercury level extends below the lower lip of the mouth of said contact chamber, contact members. in said contact chamber, a passage connecting said barrel portion with the lower outer end of said contact chamber, 'an adjustable flow-controlling means in said passage and circuit closing means adapted to be operated by the tilting of the device. 7

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name this 27 day of October 1920, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

KARL KAISSER.

Witnesses:

FRANZ TRAUTMANN, ANNY SPoRnR. 

